


Shards Of Chaos - Concept Art + Behind the Scenes

by astralinferno93



Series: Bloodstained Zestiria [2]
Category: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:47:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27904723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralinferno93/pseuds/astralinferno93
Summary: This is a sort of archive for art I do for the fic 'Shards of Chaos'. This will have some descriptions on why I chose to design said characters and also inspirations and whatnot. Please note that the fic is still ongoing and more details/ concept art will be added here.
Series: Bloodstained Zestiria [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043301
Kudos: 2





	1. Why I chose to write this fanfic?

You're probably wondering...Astral dear, why would you make this as a separate thing? Answer...well its easier for me to put my thoughts to paper...or rather type them. I honestly didn't think that my work would get this much attention.

So anyway your looking at the title and thinking, why did you write this insane crossover featuring two very different games?

Simple really. I was bored. No really this came from boredom after playing Bloodstained Ritual of the Night and Tales of Zestiria back to back. I thought the idea of shardbinding within RotN was really interesting and thought this could be expanded upon. So that's why I decided to do this crazy crossover. As soon as I started to type the prologue I knew exactly how i wanted this fic to be like and how it would play out. I definitely wanted it to be in the Zestiria universe but with the added addition of shardbinding. This in turn changed how magic works. Yes the idea is a little crazy, but it works right?

I also wanted a hint of mystery within my fic to keep the reader guessing and to have them ask questions. Though a tiny bit of information has been revealed, there is still so much that's not been revealed and I really want that sort of Agatha Christie/ Professor Layton/ Sherlock puzzle solving thing going on. It'll be fun to have readers follow along and see what happens! :)

See you next chapter when we see the first of many character concept arts!


	2. Character Design - Sorey - Behind the Scenes

So the first character that needed a design was Sorey, I mean he's the main guy in Zestiria and the main-ish guy here. So how did I go about making his design fit the universe and also keep to his original incarnation? Well I kept his colours mostly the same but tweaked his overall look. Since this universe ive created is going to be darker, i thought why not give his look a bit more edge...so i took elements from Miriam's design from RotN, but just enough so his design would look unique enough for him to stand out on his own. 

I also gave his shirt only one long sleeve to show off one of the rose marks he has. Maybe the other sleeve had to be cut off for some reason?

I figured a fun little change to his look would be to make him have a really long ponytail. Considering that he slept in a coma for 10 years and all...

Maybe Mikleo trimmed his bangs whilst he was sleeping?

Now for that cloak? I wanted him to have a cloak in his design like his shepherd's mantle from the Zestiria game. Instead of making it white with black edgings, i made it a royal blue with gold edgings and details. I also changed the overall shape of it so it draped better on him and looked like a heavy mantle.

Of course the cloak had several design sketches but by popular vote, the off shoulder design was chosen. (The one at the end)

Well next chapter ill be delving into the geography and inspiration behind Ladylake and the inspo behind Sorey's Ladylake attire!~


	3. Geography - Ladylake

_Hey Astral, you know the city of Ladylake right? With the waterwheel and the festivals and drinking that goes on? Well why not turn it into a Victorian Steampunk like place?_

That was my brain when i decided to alter Ladylake's whole appearance to that of a dreary Victorian England like area. If your wondering which location in RotN inspired it, look no further than the Tower of Twin Dragons and the Livre Ex Machina. Those locations scream industrial steampunk and I'm living for it. Also Hamelin from Ni No Kuni has that steampunk-y industrial vibe. (Pic below)

(Pic off google for reference!)

I thought the idea of having gears mounted to walls, pipes scaling buildings and steam hissing would make Ladylake more depressing but also kinda cool? I dunno. Other inspirations for this version of Ladylake? Movies like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Howl's Moving Castle and The Golden Compass...and also games that have mechanical elements, Dishonoured and Bioshock Infinite mostly. XD

**Fashion**

The fashion of this city would be again inspired by Victorian Steampunk Fashion mixed with a bit of fantasy. Imagine corsets, full frilly skirts, goggles, cravats, tailcoats, top hats and all that. It would look really fancy. Also there should be those old fancy canes that gentlemen use back in the olden days, like the whole aristocrats and that. Think 1890's mixed with industrial fantasy and you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Speaking of that...lets discuss Sorey's Ladylake outfit!

I once again did 3 sketches showcasing some of the elements that were present in Victorian fantasy fashion. I experimented with ruffed collars, waistcoats, tailcoats and even suspenders for some reason (yeah the suspenders look is alternative, plus it'll keep his pants from falling) . In the end design number 2 was chosen for just how complete it was. I was going to merge design's 1 and 2 together but the whole thing didn't mesh well (also a giant frilly cravat around Sorey's neck would look too out of place (also the frilly sleeves on the jacket were a massive plus!). The colour scheme of said outfit matched that of his default attire so it didn't feel out of place. As for details, I added two chains to the front of the jacket and some minor gold details to make it pop. (And yes his hair would be tied back with a ribbon!)

**Worldviews**

This will be a tough nut to crack. You see the whole concept is feigning normality in an age where normal isn't so normal. Shardbinders in the eyes of the populace are nothing more than second class citizens and are thus treated poorly. They are also thrown out of the city by the guards (or arrested in some extreme cases!). They are scared of what power Shardbinders hold and are thus branded as criminals. Thankfully someone is trying to loosen the laws but if Bartlow won't budge then what will the future hold for future shardbinders? What will happen when other cities disagree with Ladylake's views?

Next chapter will focus on the designs of Mikleo, Alisha and Lailah! Stay tuned!~


	4. Character Design - Mikleo, Alisha and Lailah - Behind the Scenes

This fic needed more character designs and ones that I was indeed happy with. Of course the fashion nut within me was like 'well if your going to make Sorey's design, surely youl make designs for the other characters right? Right?' Yes and thats exactly what I did.

Let's start off with the first character we meet, Mikleo, Sorey's best friend and a researcher into shards

For his design, I very loosly based it off Johannes from Bloodstained, you know the guy that is with Miriam at the start of the game? Yeah him. I even gave Mikleo his epilogue hairstyle. Why? I love it plus it fits his overall look. I bet you were thinking id give him that short cut he has in Zestiria right? In Book 2 he may get a slightly upgraded outfit, but for now, the puffy shirt and sleeveless coat stays.

His role will always be to keep Sorey safe, refresh the gylphs and figure out who caused Sorey to be turned into a shardbinder. 

Next can we talk about Lailah's design as its one of my intiial favourite Book 1 designs!

Lailah's role is different in the fic. Yes she researches into shards much like Mikleo does, but she does her own form of delving into how shards work and how they can be improved while still trying to figure out the history of shardbinding. Her design is a mix of her red dress from Zestiria but with steampunk victorian attire and a little mad inventor vibes. The hairband she has is a nifty pair of goggles she can raise and lower at will, either to look closely at things or to seem like she knows whats shes doing. She also has a variation of her weapon. Flying metal cards inspired by the Talises weapon from PSO2, I even called them that in the fic..and they function like them too.

Now onto Alisha

Alisha is noblewoman living within the noble's district of Ladylake. As such she would have to dress herself to look like shes of high status. In this case I took heavy inspiration from her dlc outfit, the one with the large hat. I gave her a skirt and leggings plus a leather corset which wouldnt do much in protecting her if shes forced to fight. The jacket with the gear pin connects her more to Ladylake. In Book 2, she will have a new outfit that focuses on her being a knight rather than a noble lady and her role will be expanded.

Next chapter will focus on Edna's design, Marlind and just who the alchemist's are without giving too much away!~

Stay tuned for that my dear readers!~


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